


Greater Than X, Lesser Than Y

by mitochondriencocktail



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Bullying, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, brief mention of slurs, just a short rambling piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 03:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11394609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitochondriencocktail/pseuds/mitochondriencocktail
Summary: AU wherein Richard and Jared go to a boarding school, they face some bullying, they're also in love. Short piece.





	Greater Than X, Lesser Than Y

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all! I'm writing something longer, but got restless because I've been poking at it for so long, so I hacked this out while listening to Academia by Sia. Any and all feedback is appreciated, and unbeta'd as per usual bc I'm a sloppy hoe

Richard hated the sweaters they were forced to wear at West Prep. They were ugly, grey scratchy beasts that swallowed him whole with loose threads, transforming him from scrawny to shapeless. In addition to ugly sweaters, West Prep forced their academic attendants into starchy white button-ups and dress pants that Richard had to roll up above his hard leather shoes that were always laced too tightly. The entire ensemble was desperately aiming for some semblance of class, but fell rather flat at overpriced knockoff. Which was maybe why Richard was here in the first place. 

West Prep was a boarding school that stretched out with stone buildings that mimicked those of ancient educational institutions, but the insides were mercilessly modern and revealed the true infancy of the campus. Smartboards and overhead projectors were fitted into every room, and dorm rooms were designed with inspiration torn straight from an Ikea catalogue.

And like the tonally clueless establishment itself, the student body fared little better. West Prep had found itself caught in a precariously confusing situation that drew in a third of its students from upper class new money backgrounds, another third from slightly above average income households (which was where Richard sat), and the final third was rounded out with boys from “less than fortunate homes.” Richard knew this was just polite terminology for “delinquents” and “poor kids.”

And so, ugly sweaters were the great equalizers across the campus. Because if they were all dressed the same, no kid could be picked on— or so the school thought. Cruelty always found a way, Richard learned firsthand. It took only a week into the Fall semester, and he was already being dunked into toilets and slammed into lockers. The only difference between West Prep and public Junior High was that he could run immediately to his bedroom and lock himself inside.

That, and, well. There was Jared Dunn.

They’d met as casualties of bullying, seeking solace during their free period in similar hiding spots out by the creek near the south end of campus. When Richard plopped down one Thursday afternoon, he’d spotted another boy nearby, splashing cool water against his reddened face. His loose brown hair flopped down, deflated, and his gawky long limbs reached for handful after handful of creek water. Richard happened to have an ice pack from an injury earlier in the day, so he offered it up, and a friendship had blossomed out of bruises.

From there, Richard and Jared grew closer, sharing their salvaged lunches, swapping notes for class, and plotting the best routes to dodge bullies. (Stay away from the courtyard, the angel statue on the east end was okay on Wednesdays and Fridays, and never use the second floor bathrooms during class hours.) There was a gentleness to Jared that Richard found alluring, that drew him to the other boy like a moth to a flame— especially as September passed and darkness began creeping in quicker by mid-October. Jared was a foster kid, one of the transfers from a “less than fortunate home” who was quick to adopt, then quick to dismiss.

That baffled Richard. Who could so easily dismiss Jared? Jared who always had a spare umbrella in his bag; Jared who stole snap peas from the cafeteria to feed the ducks; Jared who sat shoulder to shoulder with Richard on his bed, sharing an algebra textbook and a blanket.

Rain pattered along outside, further creating a sense of pleasant isolation. Richard leaned his head on Jared’s shoulder and closed his eyes. For all the modernity the buildings had, they were still stingy on heating, and Richard reveled in the warmth that radiated from Jared. 

“Are you tired? I can go,” Jared said. He shut the textbook and slid it off his lap.

“I’m fine,” Richard said. Jared chuckled.

“Richard, you’re falling asleep. I’ll get out of your hair and let you get some rest.”

“No,” Richard whined. “Why don’t you just… stay?” The words sat in the air, resting strangely like they’d been said a thousand times before, but were also startlingly new. Richard didn’t dare move.

“You don’t…” Jared let out a weak laugh, struggling seemingly to get his words right. “They already make fun of… Richard, you don’t want that. People already call us— you, um. Terrible things. I don’t want to encourage them.”

“What?” Richard snapped, sitting up suddenly. “Fags? Queers? I don’t—” he glanced down, fists clenching. “I don’t care. I mean— if you don’t care, then I don’t care.” The room trembled, a frenetic new energy building, Richard’s mind whirring. He felt it in his gut, the hunger that bloomed under and for Jared’s attention; the same rush of euphoria he got when they brushed hands trading pencils, the happy distraction of uncontrollable daydreams about close quarters and tangled legs.

The tired, dark circles under Jared’s eyes that Richard wanted to erase with promises of better days.

He wasn’t sure who leaned in first, but suddenly they were kissing slow and syrupy, time coalescing around them in a frozen cocoon of safety. Jared’s hands gripped onto Richard’s ugly grey sweater and started lifting it above his head, and for the first time in a long while, Richard felt like he could breathe.

“Are you sure?” Jared asked.

Richard nodded, pulling Jared down alongside him, staring starry-eyed at the gift he’d been granted. He kissed Jared again, twice on the lips, multiple times across his cheeks and jaw until they were both giggling— quiet and secret, but unashamed. Richard searched himself for a thread of remorse, but each time he dove in, all he found was a deeper ache for Jared— to soothe him, to praise him, to pack up their meager belongings in the middle of the night and run off into the wild. He wanted to take scissors to the strings that tied them down, but that was another matter for another day. They both knew this.

Jared stayed the night, pressing sleepy kisses along Richard’s throat, and they laid there in each other’s arms listening to the soothing patter of 3AM rain. They laid there knowing that tomorrow would bring its own new challenges, but, tonight, they’d conquered enough.


End file.
